INTRODUCTION
Psychologists define guilt as “the painful thoughts and emotions we experience when we have harmed someone else or broken our own moral code.”
- We experience, on average, 5 hours a week of guilty feelings. That’s the total of all the feelings we have of mild or moderate guilt.
- Unresolved guilt is like having a snooze alarm in your head that won’t shut off. The nagging interruptions of guilt can make it hard to concentrate.
- Guilty feelings make it difficult to think straight. When guilt is competing for our attention, it usually wins. Studies have found that concentration, productivity, creativity, and efficiency are all significantly lower when you’re feeling actively guilty.
- Guilt makes us reluctant to enjoy life. Even mild guilt can make you hesitant to embrace the joys of life. Guilty feelings might make you choose to skip a party, not celebrate your birthday, or mope around during your vacation without being able to enjoy it.
- Guilt can make you self-punish. The Dobby Effect—a phenomenon named after the head-banging elf in the Harry Potter books—refers to a psychological tendency for people to employ self-punishment to ward off feelings of guilt.
- Guilt can play a major role in mental and physical illness. OCD, depression, anxiety, as well as insomnia, indigestion, chest pain have all been related to guilt.
That’s what the psychologists tell us about guilt, but it’s actually far worse than they think or say. The Bible says it is more serious in both its causes, symptoms, and its consequences. As we’ve been discovering in our study of Romans, it is caused by disobedience to God’s law and results in eternal consequences in hell. Some of us have probably been feeling that guilt more deeply and seriously as chapters 1-3 were expounded. Maybe you’ve been asking, How do we get from guilt to joy? Thankfully, that’s the journey Paul now takes us on.
BACKGROUND
In general terms we can summarize the first three chapters of Romans as follows:
- Chapter 1 The Gentiles are guilty
- Chapter 2: The Jews are guilty
- Chapter 3: Everyone’s guilty .
But Paul doesn’t want to leave us there. He wants us to get from guilt to joy. He therefore introduces us to various characters to help us on our journey.
Who’s the first character?
1. EXECUTE MR GOODNESS
Mr Goodness hardly needs an introduction. As we are all born hand in hand with him, we all know him very well. And we like him, because he’s always telling us how good we are. And if we ever have any doubts about our goodness, he helps us to make excuses, blame others, or find others worse than ourselves to make us look good.
As Mr Goodness is extremely experienced, persuasive, skillful, and dangerous, the Apostle Paul spends the first few chapters of Romans attacking him. And in Romans 3, Paul takes the kill-shot by multiplying sharp scripture proofs of universal human sinfulness. Look at the underlined words in these verses. What’s his point?
We have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one (Romans 3:9-12).
Though there are times when Mr Goodness is driven out of our lives, he keeps resurrecting and whispering, “You’re not that bad. You are not as bad as most people. You have redeeming features. You’ve done enough to overcome the bad things.” That’s why Paul reminds us again later that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (23).
CHANGING OUR STORIES WITH GOD’S STORY
Execute Mr Goodness. If Mr Goodness is still whispering in your ear, use this chapter to execute him. As you read these verse, pray, “Lord, kill Mr Goodness in my life, so that I don’t believe his lies.
MR GOODNESS IS
REALLY MR BADNESS
2. LISTEN TO MR GUILTY
Paul has used God’s Law to attack Mr Goodness, who now lies dying on the floor. At this point, Mr Guilty enters the room and every one stops talking. Guilt stops our mouths. We realize we have no defense, alibi, or excuse.
Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God [NKJV: may become guilty before God]. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin (19-20).
Mr Guilty puts us in chains and drags us again and again to Mr Law (we’ll look at him a bit later). Mr Law presents us with two documents: God’s precepts to be obeyed and God’s penalties to be suffered.
CHANGING OUR STORIES WITH GOD’S STORY
Listen to Mr Guilty. How do you respond to Mr Guilty? Are you still trying to argue with him using human standards? Are you still defending your goodness from his attacks? Or has he silenced you with God’s law?
MR GUILTY HAS LOTS OF POINTING FINGERS
BUT NO HELPING HANDS
3. RECEIVE MR RIGHTEOUSNESS (aka. Mr Perfect)
Into this gloomy room walks Mr Righteousness. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God (3:21-22). Mr Righteousness has a nickname: Mr Law-Satisfier. He comes to the law, looks at the precepts to be obeyed and the penalties to be suffered and says, “I can do both.”
But how come Mr Righteousness has a righteousness apart from the law? How can he be a law-satisfier without the law? This cannot mean what it seems to mean – a law satisfaction without satisfying the law. Rather it is a law satisfaction without any regard to our attempted law-satisfying. Mr Righteousness offers a law-satisfaction that is completely separate and independent from our attempted law-satisfying.
It is also a righteousness of God (21, 22). This is not a mere human righteousness but a divine righteousness. This is not a mere man that has obeyed the precepts and suffered the penalties. It is God himself. If a mere human being could achieve perfect righteousness it would only be enough for one person. But divine righteousness is infinitely valuable and can extend to a multitude greater than we can number.
Who is this Mr Righteousness? He’s been around for a long time. The law and the prophets bear witness to him, but he’s now been manifested (revealed) more clearly (25, 26). Who is Mr Righteousness? It’s Mr Jesus Christ. He can obey the precepts and suffer the penalties until they are exhausted. He is the righteousness of God.
CHANGING OUR STORIES WITH GOD’S STORY
Receive Mr Righteousness. Do you think you can add anything to Mr Righteousness? Do you think you can make him any better? “All our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment” (Isa. 64:6). Take him as yours.
OUR CLEANEST CLOTHES ARE FILTHY RAGS
THAT SOIL AND SPOIL CHRIST’S PERFECTION
4. CONNECT THROUGH MR FAITH
How do we get unchained from Mr Guilty and connected with Mr Righteousness? That’s where Mr Faith comes in. The righteousness of God [is] through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction (22).
Mr Faith can sever us from Mr Guilt and connect us with Mr Righteousness. As soon as we believe, Mr Faith smashes the chain of guilt and connects the soul with perfect righteousness (25). And this is not just for special believers, for those with special faith, or even strong faith. It’s for all who believe. For there is no distinction (23). Paul loves Mr Faith and refers to him again and again (24-26).
CHANGING OUR STORIES WITH GOD’S STORY
Connect through Mr Faith. Instead of hearing, “Guilty, guilty, guilty!” the moment we believe in Christ, we hear not just, “Innocent, innocent, innocent!” but “Perfect, perfect, perfect!” All precepts obeyed, all penalties paid.
If you need freedom or saving
He’s a prison-shaking Savior
If you’ve got chains
He’s a chain breaker
5. EVICT MR BOASTING
The light has gone on, the dust is settling, and we are now connected to Mr Righteousness. Paul looks around and says, “Where is Mr Boasting?” Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded (27).
Mr Boasting is best friends with Mr Goodness. They go everywhere together. Once Mr Goodness has done his work, Mr Boasting steps in with praise and applause: “You’re amazing. Look at all the good you’ve done. You’re far better than most people”
But faith turns the spotlight from self to Christ. And when that happens, boasting is evicted and runs away, cursing Mr Faith. [Boasting] is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law (27-28).
Mr Boasting sometimes gets back together with Mr Goodness and they stick their heads in the window and their foot in the door from time to time. But with the help of chapters like Romans 3 they are expelled and kept at a safe distance.
CHANGING OUR STORIES WITH GOD’S STORY
Evict Mr Boasting. Mr Goodness and Mr Boasting are best friends, but our worst enemies. Have regular searches for them in your soul, and if you find them, evict them without delay.
HE MUST INCREASE
I MUST DECREASE
6. HONOR MR LAW
So faith has chased away Mr Goodness, Mr Guilt, and Mr Boasting. What about Mr Law? Does Mr Faith chase him away too? Let Paul answer: Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law (31).
Every other pretended way of salvation diminishes the law in one way or another. In one way or another, the law is overthrown. These pretenders promise salvation by lowering the barrier or by compromising justice. Is that what God has done here?
No, this way of salvation strengthens and confirms the law. Christ’s righteousness reached the standard perfectly, and suffered the penalties fully. That’s why Pauls says God is both just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus (26). He is “a just God and a Savior” (Isa. 45:21)
CHANGING OUR STORIES WITH GOD’S STORY
Honor Mr Law. Be highly suspicious of any promised salvation which overthrows, or in any way diminishes, the law of God. The only salvation worth having is one that honors God’s law and his justice.
A LAWLESS SALVATION
IS A HOPELESS SALVATION
7. ENJOY MR JOY
Mr Goodness has gone. Mr Guilt has gone. Mr Boasting has gone. Who do we have left? Mr Righteousness, Mr Faith and Mr Law. And then walks in our seventh man, Mr Joy.
Mr Joy asks Mr Law, “Are you happy?” “I’m happy,” he replies, “My precepts have been met, my penalties satisfied. Rejoice!”
Mr Joy then turns to Mr Righteousness: “Mr Righteousness, you happy?” “Of course!” he says, “I still have a perfect complete righteousness. Rejoice!”
“Mr Faith, you happy?” “Sure, I’ve severed another person from sin and united them with perfect righteousness! Rejoice!”
“And what about you believer?” asks Mr Joy. “Me? Who could be happier! The law is satisfied. Guilt has gone. Righteousness is mine. And all by faith without any contribution from me.” What a happy scene. What a happy salvation! From guilt to joy!
CHANGING OUR STORIES WITH GOD’S STORY
Enjoy Mr Joy. Nothing makes God happier than his people’s happiness in his salvation. He loves to see them celebrating with Mr Righteousness, Mr Faith, and even Mr Law. He does not invite Mr Goodness or Mr Guilt to this party.
ENJOY MR JOY TO
GIVE JOY TO GOD
SUMMARY
THE NEXT CHAPTER
Guilt is damaging and deadly. Spend as little time as possible in the company of Mr Guilt. We do need to meet him now and again to prevent Mr Goodness and My Boasting back in, but move quickly from there to Mr Righteousness through Mr Faith.
The Gospel is health- and life-giving. Joy has so many benefits for the body, the mind, and the soul. Let’s find our greatest joy in the Gospel. It’s both safe and saving.
Help someone else travel this journey from guilt to joy. Share this message with someone who needs to get on this road and stay on it.
Prayer. Perfect God, give me perfect joy by giving me your perfect righteousness.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. How would you explain guilt to a child?
2. In what ways has guilt damaged you or helped you?
3. Which of these characters do you need to have less of in your life? How will you do that?
4. What place does guilt have in the Christian life?
5. How can you get from guilt to joy quicker?
6. What Christian songs help you get from guilt to joy?